Preparation will put you at top of ladder

By TODD PRIDEMORE Special to the Tribune

Monday

Aug 31, 2009 at 12:01 AMAug 31, 2009 at 12:59 PM

’Tis the season of preparation. The football Tigers have been fine-tuning their game for weeks, and they’re focused on “squeezing the juice” this Saturday. To the east, the Redbirds have been making moves all summer to put them in contention to claim another pennant. And in Kansas City, the Chiefs have been rebuilding as they prepare for the NFL season. In fact, it’s almost too late to prepare.

The same can be said for hunters as autumn arrives. Several hunting seasons open in a matter of weeks, if not days. Thousands of shotgunners will flock to grain and sunflower fields around the state tomorrow to harvest doves. Missourians also can start trying their luck tomorrow pursuing lesser-known birds such as sora, Virginia rails and snipe. (I could elaborate on my experiences “snipe hunting,” but I’ll save that for another time.) I will bet that most of those hunters will have sore arms to show for their efforts, unless they’ve prepared in advance at the shooting range and have the calloused shoulders to prove it.

Personally, the most anticipated square on my calendar each year is Sept. 15: the opening of archery deer and turkey season. I would be foolish if I did not take care of some very important preparations before that date. There might be other archers who can confidently enter the woods to hunt each fall without investing in much target practice, but I’m not one of them. It takes me many long weeks of flinging arrows each summer to get the confidence I need to feel comfortable taking an ethical shot once the season opens. And, more important, I believe the animals I pursue deserve my very best effort to make their death as quick and humane as possible.

But there is much more involved in getting ready than just knocking the dust off my bow and arrows. I still need to hang a few tree stands in promising spots that I’ve scouted out since last season. And before I do that, I would be living a little too dangerously if I failed to carefully examine every inch of my tree stands, climbing sticks and safety harness to make sure they won’t let me down — literally. This season, I’m especially excited to put up a two-person ladder stand that my family surprised me with last winter as a birthday gift. My oldest son, Josh, will sit in it with me this autumn as I introduce him to deer hunting. Although I can’t wait to hunt with him, I also know that the preparations I make now will play a big part in how much success we have once we climb into that stand.

Last week, I checked a major pre-hunting-season project off of my to-do list that should greatly enhance the odds that Josh and I score this season. I’m not a farmer by any means, but I managed to plant some oats, clover and brassicas in a relatively secluded field corner near my home. That involved more hours, energy and sweat than I anticipated, but it should pay off with lots of deer walking by within bow range in the coming months.

Even if you’re not a bow hunter, you can pursue turkey and deer sooner than you might think. The first day of October marks the beginning of the fall shotgun turkey season, which lasts the entire month. And in most of Boone and part of Cole Counties, the special doe-only urban rifle season is just five weeks away, taking place Oct. 9-12. Rabbit, quail, pheasant, waterfowl and other deer firearms seasons will be here before we know it.

If you plan to hunt this year, don’t wait to get prepared. The season of preparation is about to end.

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